It�s not every day that you find a Czech metal album on your desk to review. You won�t be surprised that I had never heard of Dying Passion. Maybe this is one of the reasons that I would like to describe �Sweet Illusion� a bolt from the blue. I�m not saying that Dying Passion is this years revelation, but the music is so far from the bulk of pretentious metal I�m used to review that I will label this album as one of the better of 2007 (actually it has been previously released in the Czech Republic in 2004). The surprising freshness of the music is mainly caused by some traditional melodies, the excellent use of some unusual instruments (trumpet and clarinet for example) and the warm, almost hypnotizing vocals of female singer Zuzana Lipova.

Her vocals are very powerful, almost masculine. Therefore they suit this music so much better than the fragile female vocals that flood the international metal market. The compositions on this concept album are very cleverly arranged and will be appealing to fans of progressive rock bands like Pain of Salvation, Anathema and Porcupine Tree. The melodies are very strong, as is the production. This is one to play loud with the lights off!